May 2017 - Parks & Recreation - 45

The Great Tech Debate
There remains a contingent of purists among park professionals - those who believe that technology has
no place in a park, which should be a refuge, a place
to escape from the fast pace of our tech-driven lives.
Edward Krafcik, director of partnerships and business
development at SOOFA, makers of a solar-powered
phone-charging bench, encounters the tech naysayers
fairly regularly, but he believes they comprise an ever-diminishing minority. " Many others are starting to
question what happens if we refuse to provide services
that are expected or demanded by the connected generation. Do we miss out on engaging an entire generation
with our parks? " he asks.
Mark Saferstein, of American Park Network,
which provides 2K 5DQJHU :L)L70 services to
parks, agrees. " I think the conversation about parks
and technology is much like those we've DOO had HDFK
WLPH D QHZ technology HPHUJHVµ KH VD\V ´$W ILUVW
WKHUH·V W\SLFDOO\ UHVLVWDQFH WR FKDQJH IROORZHG E\ D EH
JUXGJLQJ DFFHSWDQFH DQG XOWLPDWHO\ HYHU\RQH ZRQGHUV
KRZZHJRWDORQJZLWKRXWWKLVJUHDWQHZDGYDQFHPHQWµ
A.P. Diaz, executive officer and chief of staff for the
Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, says,
" Parks simply can't afford to stand pat and expect to
remain relevant and competitive in today's fast-paced,
technology-driven world. In L.A., we are quickly moving forward on technology and helping our visitors be
more connected and engaged, and perhaps, we're challenging traditional definitions of recreation in what we
offer. But, I think as long as we are mindful of not inappropriately crossing the line so that a park is no longer
recognizable as a park, we'll be able to maintain the right
balance and convert many of the naysayers by demonstrating that technology is a tool that can enhance the
park experience. "
Advantages - Obvious and Less So
Today's most common tech-based services come with
fairly obvious advantages. Wi-Fi allows the always-connected consumer to maintain their online lifestyle inside
the boundaries of a park, engaging with media - social
and otherwise - and staying in touch with work and
family. Charging benches are welcomed amenities that
keep those smart devices up and running. Proprietary,
park-designed apps can educate visitors about activities
in a particular park, as well as others in the system that
the visitor wasn't even aware of, and give them the opportunity to register for events or reserve space. A new

app that has been proven to be successful in Los Angeles allows park visitors to alert staff to areas of the park
that require immediate maintenance or cleaning. This
helps the parks more efficiently handle these issues and
demonstrates to visitors the responsiveness and dedication of the park maintenance staff.
A less obvious benefit of technology is the vast amount
of data that many of these services can provide park
agencies. Sensors on the SOOFA charging benches track
smartphone hotspot searches, which can yield valuable
attendance and usage data. The data can be used to establish baseline usage patterns, which can then be compared
to data from special events or when new capital improvements are added. " Now, you can begin to ask whether
a newly installed dog park or playground is getting the
anticipated use, " says Krafcik. " 'Are they successful?'
'Should we make changes?' Now we have a data-driven
framework to begin to answer these questions. "
Wi-Fi networks can deliver extremely valuable information about how people are using the network. This
can give park staff important demographic data regarding their visitors or reveal potential new marketing channels based on the visitors' online activity. Camera vision
technology on light poles along paths can document and
distinguish between walkers, runners and cyclists, which
is data agencies couldn't easily access before. Even traditional information-gathering tools, like surveys, can
be made much more effective and generate a far greater
response rate when attached to an app or interactive digital platform.

A park ranger for the city of Los Angeles demonstrates Discovery
Agents' " Mission Maker, " an app-based game designed to get kids
out in nature.

W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G | M AY 2 0 1 7 |

Parks & Recreation

May 2017 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2017 - Parks & Recreation